The present invention relates to a process for the continuous production of coke or semicoke by means of a rotary oven and to an apparatus for producing coke or semicoke.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,153 a process is described for the production of a reactive coke, which is fairly well fired and in which the volatile materials are used for producing in situ the heat necessary for carbonization, while the sensible heat of the smoke and also the residual combustible gases are used for generating steam. Such a process is practically autothermic and in practice provides a coke containing from 1 to 8% of volatile materials.
This process is effective for obtaining more or less reactive cokes having a low content of volatile materials, but, unless considerably modified, does not make it possible to obtain cokes or semicokes fired at a relatively low temperature, for example below 600.degree. C., and still having a fairly high content of volatile materials, for example up to 20%.
Such cokes or semicokes may have numerous direct or indirect applications. They may be used without further treatment for electrometallurgy, electrochemistry, and gasification. They may serve as added material in the production of moulded coke or in carbonised coke pastes in charging processes involving preheating and/or compaction.
An object of the present invention is to obtain, with good flexibility of regulation, a wide range of cokes differing in respect of contents of volatile materials, for example in the range from 1 to 20% of volatile materials. Another object is to avoid the combustion of by-products in situ, with a view to recovering the maximum amount of tars and gases.